If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. Register yourself as a member of Eyes on Final Fantasy in order to post, have less ads, be able to read more thread replies per page, and much much more. Click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Holy crap, so Atlus isn't going to wait the obligatory ten years for the next numbered entry in the main franchise?

SMTII (1994)
SMTIII (2003)
SMTIV (2013)

This will actually be the fastest turnaround for a numbered entry since the first two games. I'm also happy the company is keeping the mainline series alive and well as I've heard several fans worries they may ditch it for Persona. I wonder if this means we may see another entry in the Devil Summoner series in the future as well.

Regardless, the Switch has been looking impressive and I now have my first legitimate reason to consider picking it up over a Wii U. I wonder if showing off a male and female character in the trailer may hint to being able to choose the MC's gender? That would be cool.

It would definitely be a welcome change. This is done by the Apocalypse team, right? I wonder how they'll handle it. And I don't know if its him or if Doi is just doinghis best to emulate him, but those humandesigns look quite Kaneko-ish

It would definitely be a welcome change. This is done by the Apocalypse team, right? I wonder how they'll handle it. And I don't know if its him or if Doi is just doinghis best to emulate him, but those human designs look quite Kaneko-ish

That's kind of what I was thinking of too. Course with all the flack Doi got for SMTIV and Apocalypse, not to mention the negative reactions to Strange Journey's redesigns, I wouldn't be surprised if the team decided to have Kaneko come back and be the lead artist again. I kind of want to see who is working on this project but watching the teaser trailer a few more times, I'm definitely hyped for this. Man I didn't want to buy a new system though...

Kazuyuki Yamai (SMTIV and SMTIV:A) did a recent interview in Famitus after the announcement. While I haven't found a translation these are some of the highlights people have mentioned:

The game was announced in October because the original Shin Megami Tensei was released 25 years ago this month and the team wanted fans to know the franchise is still going to be supported.

The theme of the game is to make people take a deeper look at "the characteristics of the times" and will address some elements that are going on in the real world. Not that this is new for the franchise. He mentions specifically unemployment, terrorism, uneasiness of life in retirement, nuclear weapons and issues abroad and at home as possible themes the game will tackle.

"Shekinah Glory" of God's Glory is one of the game's keywords, and he wants you to think about it now and when you play the game.

The location seen in the trailer, Shinagawa Station, will play a part in the story.

This is the first time the team is working with the Unreal Engine, and they are pretty pleased with the results of the tech which allows them to test elements of the game faster, allowing for more experimentation. He's happy they were finally introduced to the engine.

Classic elements like demon fusion will still be present but they are also going to introduce some new ones as well.

Since this is the first console entry in a long time (2003's Nocturne being the last one) the goal of the game is to create a hybrid experience that combines the best elements of Nocturne and SMTIV. This is why the Switch was chosen as the platform because it still allows for the big console HD experience but has the mobility function as well. The director noted that he likes the idea that players will watch the game's big moments on a big screen and then use the portable option for simple grinding and dungeon crawling on the go.

The game is still in the development phase and it's too soon to even say it will be "coming soon" don't expect a release date for awhile.

I've only really played through Persona 4 and 5, (with a bit of P2 on the side) though before P5 came out, I was enjoying a playthrough of Nocturne (can already tell I like it better than Persona). Currently at Kabuchiko Prison; will probably pick it up again once I "cleanse my palate". Also tried SMTIV looking to play "Nocture on the go" and was promptly let down by raising my standards too high. Looking to play Strange Journey Redux when that comes out.

As far as favorite characters go, I really like Rise, despite the undeserved hate she gets. People remember her as "the flirty hyper Selphie/Rikku" of the group and forget that she's actually an awkward introvert who approaches social interaction as a performance. I dunno, I found her intensely relateable.

Scatach and Mother Harlot in the Top 20, I'm happy. Metatron didn't do too bad for himself, either.

I'm not alone here in adoring Scatach, am I? She's so adorable and is usually pretty strong.

Speaking o fwhich, speculation about SMTV elsewhere had people saying the Megami should be the Law representatives in SMTV, replacing YHWH and his angels.

I am surprised Decarbia and Mothman are so high, they never felt that special to me. I love Scathach and her design is great. Sad to see some fave so low but happy they were at least in the top hundred.

I'm not really sure what to expect from SMTV. I mean SMT1 was all over the place, SMTII is Law focused, SMTIII is Chaos focused. Strange Journey was the environmental one, SMTIV and SMTIV Apocalypse felt more Neutral focus. The teaser trailer for SMTV looks closest to SMT1 at the moment and it's suppose to be about more current events, yet funny enough I kind of feel like the first game again, already addressed a lot of issues we're still worrying about today like terrorism, foreign influences, and corrupt governments. The idea it might deal with Japan's Aging Workforce and Retiree care could be really interesting topic to give a MegaTen spin to.

I played a bit of Nocturne when I borrowed it from a friend. It seemed fantastic, and I remember some great stories I've been told about it as well. I'd love to have it or a game styled like it on a handheld.

My friend Delzethin is currently running a GoFundMe account to pay for some extended medical troubles he's had. He's had chronic issues and lifetime troubles that have really crippled his career opportunities, and he's trying to get enough funding to get back to a stable medical situation. If you like his content, please support his GoFundMe, or even just contribute to his Patreon.

He can really use a hand with this, and any support you can offer is appreciated.

I liked P4 on Vita, didn't care much for P3 but that was likely because I played the PSP version that stripped out some of the charm. I'm considering getting SMTIV, since SMTIII is not available on a handheld system (not sure why they didn't give Vita a built in PS2 emulator like PSP had for PS1 games). Is the battle system the same in SMT as in the Persona games? What's the main difference between the gameplay for the two series?

Proud to be the Unofficial Secret Illegal Enforcer of Eyes on Final Fantasy!When I grow up, I want to go to Bovine Trump University! - Ralph Wiggum

So the newer SMT games have something called the Press-Turn system, the Once More system from the newer Persona games being a variation of it. Basically, at the beginning of every turn, you have a number of icons (called press turns) that get used up as you take actions. If you manage to get a critical hit or hit an enemy's weakness, you don't waste an entire press turn, only leave it flashing. The same happens if you pass your turn. A flashing press turn always goes away after used up, even if you pass or hit a weakness. However, if your attack is nulled or reflected by the enemy, you lose an additional press turn. And it works identically for enemies. The system is present in both SMT III and IV, but NOT Strange Journey which is more traditional and only really has the Demon Co-Op as a unique feature. (But SJ is still amazing though so you should try it out, there's a 3DS version coming out soon, though the original DS version was pretty perfect in its original form anyway)

Some other differences between SMTIV and the other entries is that there is no defense stat, so you need to be more on top of your gear and party elemental strengths and weaknesses to mitigate damage cause even early level demons can wipe out a high level party if you are unlucky. On the brightside this applies to enemies as well so battles are pretty fast in this game and never quite drag like other entries.

There is also a mechanic called Smirk which is granted sometimes when you either exploit an enemy weakness or dodge an attack. Smirk only last one round but it will greatly boost your next skill used in battle and grants you 100% evasion making you immune to getting attacked. Though to warn you, enemies can use this feature as well so be careful.

When you fuse two demons together you are now able to choose which skills the new demon will inherent from it's parents. This is as broken as it sounds which is why SMTIV:Apocalypse and P5 modified it to be less game breaking.

Your main character can learn skills and magic, something you can do in Nocturne as well but the rules are different. When a demon completes all the skills it can naturally learn it has the ability to do Demon Whisper which allows the MC to learn one skill from the demon. If the demon teaches you a skill you already know, the skill gets a power boost up to about seven times if memory serves me correct, effectively making the MC one of the most powerful fighters on your team.

While your MC follows rules from previous games where his elemental strengths and weaknesses are determined by his equipment, new to the series is that the armor actually changes his appearance which can be fun to play around with.

Also if you die, you get sent to meet Charon who will bargain with you and let you go back and redo the fight for a price. You can either use in-game money or those Mii Coins used for the Mii minigames to bribe him.

Overall, SMTIV is designed to be a lot more user friendly than the rest of the SMT mainline games with the exception of the game's map being a bit complicated and easy to get lost in. For the most part, the game starts off pretty challenging but eases up once you get to Tokyo, at which point you should have a good grasp of the games mechanics.